Senator David Umaru of Niger-east senatorial district has rushed to the Appeal Court seeking a stay of execution and the setting aside of judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which on Wednesday nullified his nomination as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 16 election.
Umaru stated this yesterday at a press briefing in Minna, saying he had rejected the decision of the trial court in its entirety and had, therefore, appealed against the judgement delivered by Justice Justice FO Giwa Ogunbanjo because it was not only erroneous, but also against the weight of evidence before the court.
He said “as a clear demonstration of my position, I have appealed against the decision of the trial court to the Court of Appeal Abuja and I would like to confirm to you that earlier this morning I filed my notice of appeal/stay of execution against the judgement.”
He explained that he remained the bona fide candidate of APC in the Niger East Senatorial District, urging his teeming supporters to continue with campaign activities for the presidential and senatorial elections.
He accused the trial court of ignoring the evidence of the defence and assumed the responsibility of nominating its preferred candidate, and that “I am, therefore, appealing the decision of the trial court because it is not the responsibility of the court to determine who should be the candidate of a political party at election.”
“As a law-abiding citizen, I wish to sue for peace and urge all my supporters and well-wishers to remain calm and come out en masse and vote for me come Saturday, February 16, because there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
The Federal High Court 9 had on Thursday declared Mohammed Sani Musa as the winner of the APC primaries in Niger state after declaring the election of October 5, 2018, null and void.
